BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Senate has sent a compromise congressional district map to the House, hoping to break through a stalemate with only hours to go before the redistricting special session must end.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday afternoon on the map to shrink the state's U.S. House districts from seven to six.

The session must wrap up by 6 p.m.

Among the disagreements is whether to maintain two north Louisiana-based districts, even as the area continues to lose population.

The map approved by the Senate, based on a design offered by Republican Sen. Neil Riser, would keep the two northern districts. It would split Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in the southeast. Baton Rouge and its suburbs would be represented by three congressmen. A New Orleans-based minority district would remain.